Category Archives: Motorsports

Round 2 of SUPER GT took place at Fuji Speedway (Oyama-chou, Shizuoka prefecture) over the April 30th-May 1st weekend, and it was the #23 MOTUL AUTECH GT-R (Satoshi Motoyama/Benoit Treluyer) who took victory in heavy rain. The win was the first for the team in 22 months since their triumph at Sportsland SUGO, Round 5 of the 2009 season.

Lotus Cup USA is the official racing series for Lotus enthusiast. It’s a developmental series that features both experienced and amateur drivers alike, pushing the Lotus Elise, 2-Eleven, Exige S, and Cup Cars to their limit.

Round one is in the books with the next event taking place May 28th & 29th at Auto Club Speedway.

The Dodge Viper ACR ran a 7:22.1 at the Nurburgring back in August of 2008. To put that number in proper perspective that’s three seconds faster than the recorded time for the Ferrari Enzo, and four seconds faster than Chevrolet’s ZR1, at the ultimate proving ground for both man and machine.

A year later they went to Mazda Laguna Seca where Chrysler engineer, Chris Winkler, got behind the wheel of an ACR and set a new track record of 1:33.9, a full second faster than the previous record.

Now, the Viper has unleashed its venom again and laid claim to another track, Miller Motorsports Park. The Viper ACR posted a record time of 1:59.995, more than three seconds faster than the previous record held by the ZR1.

“It’s amazing to come to this world-class track and shatter the production car lap record by almost 4 seconds,” said Bryan Viger who heads up Dodge Motor sports. “We brought our street-legal Viper ACR to see what Kuno could do behind the wheel, and on his second lap he’d already gone faster than the single lap record.”

Is the Dodge Viper not the car to beat? For some reason it doesn’t seem to garner the same attention that surrounds the Nissan GTR or Chevy Corvette.

We’ve been keeping our eye on Dodge’s official track package, the Dodge Challenger V-10 Drag Pak, for a while now and the news has become more impressive each time we check in. So, what do we have this time that could top the other stories? A new track record.

Dave Thomas at Atco Raceway in New Jersey set an NHRA AA/SA record time of 9.43-second in the quarter-mile, with a trap speed of 143.9 mph.

This past weekend Barber Motorsports Park played host to the third round of the Grand-Am Rolex Series for the Porsche 250. With two classes being compacted onto a course with 15 technical corners the action was tight, relentless, and also made for some daring passes.

With such a large field patience had to be exercised, although there were a few drivers who may have missed that memo. Tire management would prove to be just as important when considering the nature of the track compounded with the heat, which resulted in many cars struggling to find ample grip. So, who would survive the bumping and banging along with coping with Mother Nature? Click through to find out.

For the past few months the guys at A.M. Performance have dedicated their selves to building a Nismo 370z to compete in the Grand-Am Continental Tire Challenge. That dream finally materialized just one day before they had to pack-up for Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. But, with a brand new vehicle you have to test it first and with the team running short on time they had to get creative.

The Grand-Am Series heads to Barber Motorsports Park this weekend for the Rolex Porsche 250 and Continental Tire Challenge Barber 200. Unfortunately, both events will air delayed on Speed TV with the Rolex broadcasting on April 10 at 12 pm ET, and the Continental Tire Challenge coming on April 16 at 2 PM ET. At any rate, Barber is always an exciting and technical course to follow as the world’s best go head to head in what will be the third race of the season.

The Rolex GT category is pretty tight heading into Barber as only a small margin separates the top competition. In the driver’s standings a mere three points stands between the leading duo of Craig Stanton and John Potter of Magnus Racing, with Steven Bertheau and Spencer Pumpelly of TRG trailing close behind. The race for the manufactures championship is currently led by Porsche with 65 points, while Mazda sits second with 62. However, this could be the track where Mazda jumps to the front as Barber is the ideal circuit for the quick and nimble RX-8. Last year at Barber the RX-8s dominated and claimed every spot on the podium, with the SpeedSource boys leading the way.

The 2011 Mopar Challenger V-10 Drag Pak was spotted in action again, this time it was driver Andrew Durham piloting his father’s special edition Challenger. Durham took the Mopar Challenger all the way to the semifinals in what was only his first NHRA National event.

“The car is extremely consistent; it’s amazing,” said Durham. “Mopar has really put together a great package.” Added Andrew’s father and car owner, Ron Durham, “I’ve had a lot of guys tell me this is an amazing car to come out here and be as consistent as it is, without touching it. We went and picked it up in Detroit, we put a fuel sample valve on it and a weight box in it, and that’s all that we’ve done to it. The paint job is perfect. It’s an immaculate piece of engineering and ingenuity by these Mopar guys.”

The Trofeo Maserati GranTurismo MC season is set to return on May 1 at Imola. Aptly named, as the series features the Maserati GranTurismo MC Trofeo which is originally based off of the GranTurismo MC Concept.

New for 2011 includes significant changes to the engine and transmission software, increasing power output by 38 bhp for a new total of 488 bhp, while power is maintained by swift 60 ms gear shifts. The 2011 MC Trofeo also boasts improvements to the aerodynamics and brakes.

The series will have “extensive television coverage”, but exact details have not been released as of now. Of course, we’ll keep you posted.

The Discovery channel will debut their Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup mini-series on April 2 at 7pm EST. The show will document the completed 2010 Jetta TDI Cup series, with the upcoming episode showcasing the first three races.

The Jetta TDI Cup is a platform for young, up and coming drivers to prove their mettle and advance up the ladder. At stake is Volkswagen factory career advancement support with a value up to $100,000, along with $50,000 in prize money to be awarded throughout the season.

The series also features driver Wyatt Gooden, a young racer who earned his spot by winning the virtual TDI Cup at iRacing.com.